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Starting life as the village inn, this handsome building dates back to the 17th century and still retains its original oak beams and inglenook fireplace with a bread oven, features which permeate the two dining rooms, one of which opens on to its own private enclosed sun deck with full cover marquee. There is a comfortable lounge with bar for pre or after meal drinks. There is something rather special about having the option to move outside for post prandial coffee and drinks and both dining rooms are available for exclusive private functions or conferences.

Speculation that the name Cornfields implies a rural setting would be entirely met. Located in the heart of the Bedfordshire countryside, but only a mere ten minutes from the county town of Bedford, or St Neots, with its pleasant waterside setting by the River Ouse, Cornfields is surrounded by recreational activities, with a clay target complex, golf courses, horse riding, a butterfly park and a wealth of historic sites.

Who does not love hotels that not only get everything right, but ensure that their dining room is par excellence, and so it is with Cornfields. The feeling as you enter is of embarking upon an enjoyable experience in the house of friends you really value, with the result that you already have that comfortable sensation which seems to tweak the gastric juices just a little more than usual.

A starter of stilton, walnut and bacon fritters with redcurrant and port sauce does nothing to dispel this view, and the confit of duck in a filo parcel on oriental salad with sesame oil is particularly good. Seared Scottish scallops on pea and mint puree with Parma ham provide a simple dish of integrity, and for those who have never given up on the habit there is often the most dreamy cream of mushroom soup - comfort food of a high order, and why not?

In season a roasted guinea fowl supreme on a potato rösti with wild mushroom sauce makes for an indulgent dish. Barbary duck breast with plum compote and Pinot Noir sauce creates an interesting flavour blend, and in the view of some pose a definite challenge to even the medallions of Aberdeen Angus beef, served with caramelised shallots and red wine gravy.

Desserts lend themselves to a frivolous approach, tinged with some classicism, and Cornfields rises well to the occasion with an apricot and sultana bread and butter pudding, served with apricot sauce and pouring cream, or the ever faithful crème brûlée. Their selection of cheese is not only commendable but also well presented and cared for. How refreshing to find a restaurant where the coffee is not measured out to the last grain - unlimited supplies here of an excellent Italian blend, accompanied by handmade petit fours.

The wine list displays an open-ness of mind that is commendable. Prices are sensible, with real quality wine by the bottle or glass. There is a scattering of half bottles, something we don't see enough of in these days of more controlled drinking.

Five well equipped, spacious and comfortable bedrooms are tastefully decorated, leaving nothing to chance. All rooms have king size beds, en suite baths and showers, television and radio alarm clocks, direct dial telephones, trouser press and tea and coffee making facilities. Each room is furnished in a different style and all have views out over the open countryside.

Menus vary frequently for all the right reasons, so do not hesitate to get an update by clicking on their excellent straightforward and informative Website.

If you're in Clophill, Bedford and in search of a comfortable place to relax over good food and drink, head to The Flying Horse, a pub and restaurant that offers a friendly and informal atmosphere, stunning views from within a beautifully restored building, and a chance to take in the fine British sunshine in its pub garden.

The Flying Horse is more like a modern interpretation of a traditional English pub. All the classics such as beer battered fish and chips, rib-eye steaks and steaming pies are there and a modern menu comprising of duck salad, gourmet pizzas and fresh fish has joined them.

To set the right note of fashionable sociability there are sharing plates, garlic pizzette with sun-blushed tomatoes, rocket and parmesan, a box baked Camembert with red onion jam and bread, and Greek mezze with taramasalata, red pepper hummus, tzatziki, feta and flatbreads.

Amongst the starters is freshly made soup, devilled mushrooms with chilli and mint on rustic toast, and Japanese fish cakes, pickled ginger, yuzu and spring onion dipping sauce with radish slaw. Look, too, for scallops of the day.

The salads - sorry that should read 'leaves' - offer crispy duck, mouli, carrots and spring onion with plum sauce, and for the seafood fiends some pastrami cured smoked salmon, Caesar, cos, parmesan, anchovies and croutons is received with enthusiasm.

These days no self-respecting gastropub can afford to be without its pizza range; expect to find margherita, a classic medley of tomato, mozzarella, oregano and basil, Siciliana with Serrano ham, roast artichoke, olives and mozzarella or rustica with roasted Mediterranean vegetables, goats? cheese, cherry tomatoes and rocket.

Pastas include bucatini carbonara with smoked haddock, pancetta and cream, or tagliatelle bolognaise, slow cooked beef, bacon and Chianti.

Scottish salmon with noodles, Asian greens, coriander, pineapple and chilli salsa is popular, a sign of the times and improving taste in eating and the spit honey gammon ham with creamed potato, parsley and truffle sauce is worth trying too. For hearty eaters there are rib-eye and fillet steaks, and lemon sole with prawn and watercress butter and baby potatoes. Other choices encompass Peroni beer battered haddock and lamb rack with spiced dukkah crust, char-grilled stuffed peppers and minted potatoes.

A wide range of supporting dishes include creamed potatoes, Belgian frites and mayo, and cabbage, leeks and peas. Desserts are some of the best you'll encounter with apple and frangipane gallette and Cognac ice cream, and there is also a selection of local cheeses to set the buffs alight.

Their wine list of Old World classics and New World up-starts ensures there is plenty of choice for everyone. The beers are taken very seriously and so are the award-winning English cask ales.

More information, including full menus, is available on their Website.

Embankment is one of Bedford's most imposing and enduring landmarks, enjoying a prominent vantage point on the River Great Ouse and looking out onto the hustle and bustle of life on the river. This late Victorian inn has been given a complete make-over and resumed its rightful place in the Bedfordshire social scene.

Since Andrew Coath - British Institute of Innkeeping's Licensee of the Year in 2007 and manager of two other respected pubs in the area, The Black Horse in Woburn and The Swan at Salford near Milton Keynes - moved in last May, some subtle and not-so-subtle changes have been taking place at the pub, culminating in The Embankment's re-opening in March 2009.

The transformation has been dramatic. Working with landlord, local brewer Charles Wells, Andrew and his team have restored and redecorated all of the pub's Victorian features using a colour scheme that nods to the building's Arts & Crafts character. Antique gilt-framed mirrors, deep-buttoned seating in British Racing Green and rich silk lampshades have given the pub back its Victorian grandeur whilst keeping the atmosphere friendly and hospitable, whether you are in for a pint of Bombardier brewed locally in Bedford or a celebration dinner in the pub's glamorous private dining room.

A generous bar serving Charles Wells's finest brews greets you on arrival, offering you plenty of places to perch and enjoy the view. Warm weather encourages a wander outside or perhaps to eat and drink al fresco on the riverside terrace.

Perhaps the biggest change, though, is the food. With Head Chef, Neil Simons, at the helm, The Embankment kitchen is now creating dishes of well prepared and freshly cooked seasonal food with sound quality ingredients such as 28-day dry-aged Casterbridge côte de boeuf beef, excellent sausages, free-range chicken and pork and seasonal vegetables.

A range of starters and light mains could include chicken liver parfait with lambs lettuce and chutney, and Caesar salad, roast free-range chicken, crispy bacon and anchovies. Lurking amongst the main courses you might find 28 day dry-aged Casterbridge 8oz rump cap steak with chips, grilled field mushroom, watercress salad and horseradish crème fraîche, or sea bass fillets with summer vegetable slaw and carrot and ginger dressing. Those who like some routine in their lives can tuck into a roast of the day with a different joint for every day of the week teamed with the special seasonal vegetable dish of the day - free-range leg of pork on Tuesdays and the 28 day dry-aged Casterbridge roast beef on Mondays and Thursdays for instance.

The deli board comes in five different guises ? veggie, cold cuts, cheese, fish and favourites like smoked breaded brie, chunky tomato houmous, rare roast beef and piccalilli. It's good for sharing or if you're just peckish yourself.

The express menu served between noon and 6 pm covers some very satisfying bases, including that day's roast, an 8oz coarse Casterbridge beef burger with cheddar cheese, coleslaw, chips and baby gherkin salad and, home-made soup of the day. The beauty of the Embankment menu is that you can pick and choose to build the meal you want, be it feast or snack, rounding off with a delectable dessert like limoncello pannacotta and marinated strawberries or a summer fruit trifle.

Whilst eating is most certainly taken seriously, a pub wouldn't be a pub without great drinks. The wine list, described in the press as 'uncluttered yet imaginative', offers an excellent example of the year's fashionable fizz, a Prosecco from Porte Leona at £4.75 a glass as well as classy Gavi di Gavi and quality New World whites such as Chenin Blanc, more usually seen in top London restaurants, but served here at prices so reasonable they'd make a snooty sommelier shudder! Around a dozen or so are served by the glass and 500ml carafes fortify that brasserie feel with conviction.

As for real ale, it couldn't be more local if it tried, with well-kept Bombardier and Eagle IPA brewed less than a mile away at Charles Wells's brewery, and a selection of continental lagers on tap and in bottle to boot.

If you find you can't tear yourself away, The Embankment also has twenty luxurious cosy en-suite rooms - some with attractive views over the river and all with the little comfortable touches you'd find at home: piles of pillows to sink into, great linen on the quality beds, powerful showers, antique mirrors and sumptuous velvet throws. Make sure you tuck into an Embankment breakfast before you check out; it features traditional English cooked breakfast with eggs as you like them as well as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon, or something lighter if a large lunch is looming.

The revival of the Embankment has brought to Bedford what it has long needed - a focal point for those who like to eat and drink in comfort and style in an elegant destination. Check on their Website for seasonal menus, news and events.

The revival of the Embankment has brought to Bedford what it has long needed - a focal point for those who like to eat and drink in comfort and style in an elegant destination. Check on their Website for seasonal menus, news and events.

The Beefeater Grill range of restaurants, owned by the well established firm of Whitbread has transformed over time into what is now predominantly a cooking platform for chargrill. The restaurants are warm, modern and stylish, with low lighting and contemporary artwork. A comfortable, cosy, mainly booth layout offers guests their own space with no feeling of being hurried at any point. Staff are friendly and helpful if need be - what a difference that can make to a good evening out.

Be it the wide open spaces of Argentina, the intimate setting of a French restaurant, or a busy grill in London's West End, there's no denying the popularity of chargrill. As the production of quality beef, chicken, fish and lamb has grown, prices have come down by comparison, and the simple and traditional art of minimally cooking dishes by chargrill, sealing in the flavours and tastes by intense heat has caught the public imagination.

All the steaks at Beefeater Grill are matured for a minimum of 28 days before being seasoned. Whether it be juicy rib eye, the classic sirloin, that emblem of the Sunday lunch, a tender fillet, or a delicious 7oz rump, all grilled to your own specification, you're never far away from perfection. Even beefburgers have shaken off their dubious image and the highly popular Beefeater burgers are made from 100% beef.

The popular sirloin with giant prawns offers a treat to those for whom an alliance between sea and pasture is a natural attraction, whilst a 16oz steak platter links rump, fillet, sirloin and rib eye into one mouth-watering dish served with chips, battered onion rings, grilled tomato, a flat mushroom and peppercorn and brandy sauce.

Many of us love rib meat, and the rack of ribs at a Beefeater Grill has a meaty rack smoky flavour; maple ribs of pork with a choice of three sauces, mojito, smoked caramel and apple glaze, or Bourbon and black BBQ. And if all else fails and you are totally baffled by the wealth of choices, ask to have a word with the Steakmaster who will help find what is right for you, together with the best cooking method. These guys leave nothing to chance.

On a menu that is a delight to read, let alone choose a meal from, expect to find smaller dishes such as traditional prawn cocktail, whitebait, chicken liver pâté and baked Camembert, or juicy lamb koftas served with yoghurt and mint dip. There's something about a good steak meal that always leaves a gap for a little temptation to sweeten up the scene and from amongst twelve options look for Belgian chocolate cheesecake, treacle sponge pudding or a caramel apple crumble pie.

Throughout the day a wide range of more general dishes are yours for the ordering, sandwiches, jackets, classic favourites like fish and chips, pasta, salads, and sharing dishes of nachos, potato shells and a Beefeater Grill combo. Next door to many of the restaurants are Premier Inns, so staying the night whatever the circumstances need not be a problem.

And what about wine? Endorsed by Matthew Jukes, wine writer in the Daily Mail and bon viveur in his own right, a wine list that marches with the menu completes an impressive and compelling invitation to enjoy whatever takes your fancy at the nearest Beefeater Grill.

Click on their Website for menu updates and special offers.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's, and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

Box End Park in Bedfordshire is one hundred acres of thrilling leisure activities for sports enthusiasts and their Corner 5 bar and restaurant is the ideal place to chill out after an adrenaline filled day. The lakeside setting of this contemporary restaurant with its remarkable modern British cuisine makes it popular with anyone who loves nature in all its splendour. Panoramic windows offer lovely glimpses of the water outside, while the hardwood floor and interior lends a classy edge.

Lunch time offerings include starters of warm ploughman's tart followed by some delicious steaks or pastas. Sandwiches and wraps for those looking for lighter meals are aplenty and fillings include smoked chicken or creamy French brie. Evening meals begin with calamari and citrus crab aioli progressing to seared duck breast with five spice potato puree, and ending with white chocolate orange cheesecake. Do try their range of specialty coffees, liqueurs, whiskies and brandies.

A Sense of Spice offers an authentic Indian dining experience because they have gone back to their roots to present diners with an opportunity to taste home-style liver, goat, lamb, chicken on the bone and native Indian fish. These types of dishes are normally available only in London and other bigger cities.

The setting is serene and modern, customers can either relax over a drink in their lounge or head straight to the spacious dining area and enjoy the rest of the night. The staff are helpful and knowledgeable about the wine, spices in the food and information on Bedford too.

The restaurant is part of an elegant country house hotel. Emphasis is on correct and careful treatment of food at all stages, with close attention paid to the additional formalities of a typically French-inspired meal. House wine from £12.50.